Walter Cronkite, AMA and 80K...it's Been a Very Good Week!

by Jessica Northey

Happy Finger Candy Friday! This has been a very good week. I spoke at the American Marketing Association's Tucson Chapter, reached a BIG goal of mine to hit 80,000 followers on Twitter and I spent the entire day yesterday guest lecturing bright young minds at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.

It was great to speak to a Marketing audience and share my experience, strengths and Social Media success stories with this group. They were extremely gracious and a few signed up to take my more "in-depth" class I teach at an Arizona's Trade School called "Hogan School".

I wanna share a little more about my experience with the Walter Cronkite School.

Young Broadcasting minds eager to learn Social Media. Any of you guys still think it's a fad? Well it is MANDATORY for students. Broadcast, Print and PR must have a blog, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. They have to know how to take video, photos, edit and upload to blogs. They are multipurpose broadcasting machines!

Welcome to the future! I am very impressed and excited. They REALLY get it...they understand that no one cares about the mundane and that they actually have to connect and provide items of value to others. They aren't jaded like a lot of you...yet.

They are like sponges and soaking up the news, current events, music, entertainment. They're SMART, FUNNY and EAGER!

Think you can't teach an old dog new tricks? A few of the students are 40+ and from different countries where English is NOT their first language. It isn't too late to learn. The ROI on taking a little time to educate yourself on Social Media uses, platforms and best practices: YOU MIGHT BE AROUND IN 5 YEARS.

These students already have fan bases and are building brands, connecting through common ground and goals pertaining to the type of Journalism they want for the future, and make NO mistake, they WANT your jobs. They think you all have dream jobs. They are passionate and learn quick.

Now you on the other hand have experience. Content and knowing how to capture and captivate on audience is your nature. You know how to leave people hanging on your every word...SO USE WHAT YOU GOT!

Figure out how to translate who you are on the radio, ONLINE.

Just like your Personality, your Socialality should reflect your unique attributes including behavioral, temperamental, emotional and mental that give you character! Are you Sassy, Entertaining, Educational, Motivational? As you know, content is King and without the value to the audience, you will get the inevitable "so what?“

Speak WITH people not AT them! Also, forget ‘What am I doing?’ and ask your followers ‘what are they doing?’

ON A SIDE NOTE....have you been looking for Social Media guidelines to implement at your station for Programming, Executive, Promotions and Marketing staffs? The one that I read on the Walter Cronkite School Website is extremely comprehensive (somewhat rigid), however I think it is a great starting point if you don't have one!

Social Media Guidelines for Student Journalists